Hong Kong People Oppose Returning Snowden to U.S., Poll Shows

By Rachel Evans -
Jun 16, 2013

Hong Kong residents would oppose any
demand for extradition of Edward Snowden, the former National
Security Agency contractor who fled to the city after exposing a
U.S. surveillance program, according to a poll published today.

Almost 50 percent of 509 respondents oppose or strongly
oppose returning Snowden should the U.S. make a formal request,
showed a survey commissioned by the Sunday edition of the South
China Morning Post, and carried out by the Centre for
Communication and Public Opinion Survey at Chinese University.

Waving banners calling for the protection of free speech,
and chanting slogans such as “NSA has no say,” about 200
protesters yesterday marched to the U.S. consulate and the Hong
Kong government headquarters, demanding city leaders protect the
one-time Central Intelligence Agency technical assistant.

“People will not be very happy if all the decisions are
made by Beijing,” said Willy Wo-lap Lam, an adjunct professor
of history at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “It’s being
seen as a highly symbolic case whereby Hong Kong should be able
to make up its own mind regarding whether to surrender or
extradite Snowden back to the U.S.”

Should Snowden be charged or indicted, the U.S. would be
required to present probable cause to Hong Kong authorities.
Under a 1996 treaty, the State Department would then make a
formal extradition request, and Hong Kong officials would decide
whether to comply. China, which took back sovereignty of Hong
Kong from Britain in 1997, can refuse extradition in cases
related to defense or foreign affairs.

Leung Statement

Hong Kong will handle Snowden’s case according to the laws
and procedures of the city “when the relevant mechanism is
activated,” Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said yesterday in a
statement on the government’s website. Hong Kong will “follow
up on any incidents related to the privacy or other rights of
the institutions or people in Hong Kong being violated,” he
said.

The South China Morning Post said 17.6 percent of those
polled replied that Snowden should be handed over to the U.S.
The remainder of respondents declined to comment or had not
formed an opinion, the newspaper said.

The survey, which was conducted in Chinese on June 13-14,
found that 33 percent of people viewed Snowden as a hero while
12.8 percent described him as a traitor, according to the
report.